The wayward journeys of two mostly empty nesters.

Surprise, AZ, on the far western edge of the Phoenix metro area, is the Royals’ Spring Training home. Intimate – pretty – welcoming – and focused on baseball. You get to see the new prospects try out their stuff and watch the seasoned veterans fine-tune their moves. What you don’t get is the loud, constant bombardment of music, ads, and hype. Remarkably, the stands are situated in a way that places most of the infield fans in the shade. With a nice breeze, the otherwise hot afternoon was exceptionally peasant.

The Royals tied the game up in the bottom of the ninth inning, and after the Cleveland Indians scored again in the 10, pinch hitter Peter O’Brien hit a home run to tie it up again in the bottom of the 10th for the Royals. This being spring training, the teams agreed to call it a day. Travis Wood and Chris Young both had a chance to strut their stuff in a quest to become the regular season’s starting pitcher.